Art of Silence: Study Better

It is not a secret that our society is oriented towards loud, extroverted people, who can clearly express their opinion and make acquaintances faster. Indeed, such skills are valuable in the world of business, when you have a clear purpose and need to achieve it by faster means. However, not all people can be so extroverted and bouncy all the time. For some people it is hard to spend so much energy on listening and focusing on others. So, by the end of a day full of lots of interactions they feel like a squeezed out lemon: completely worn out. Whether or not you are one of those people, or if you are of the extroverted type, you can get some new information from this article, that focuses on the art and the benefits of staying silent.

Listen

It might seem a bit redundant, but staying silent can make you listen. This is really valuable during lectures, as you can concentrate on the words of your teacher. Even if we feel like we heard everything, most of the time we get into trouble because we have not listened well to the words of the speaker. How many times have you let your mom down, because you did not hear that she wanted you to do some daily chore? The same can happen in the learning environment. If you talk instead of listening well, you can easily forget that there were some homework assignments and let your teacher down.

Observe

Sometimes we think that we can just listen to someone and know what they mean. The secret is that a lot of information lies in non-verbal communication. Gestures, tone of voice, facial expressions, posture can sometimes tell you even more about the message that your teacher or groupmates are trying to convey. This means that if you zone out or look at your phone and think that you can get the maximum from the class just by listening, you are wrong. Staying silent and observing can give you much more information than just listening.

Refrain from Comments

In our society, people often expect us to give comments. Indeed, under every post in social media there is a comment section, each time there is a group discussion we are expected to give out comments on our opinions. However, if we stay silent, instead of rushing to speak, we could get so much more from the discussion. Sometimes we do not need to exclaim how we feel every minute, and can convey our feelings simply by staying silent. Here are some ways to become a quieter person.

Analyze

Staying silent can allow us to absorb all opinions of others and analyze their meaning. Remember that your words can influence the discussion. If at the beginning of the discussion someone expresses a critical thought, others might not feel comfortable giving their opinions, however valuable and insightful they might be.

Think Before Talking

Sometimes we rush to say things we do not mean. Remember that your teacher would like to hear some great things from you, and not just mediocre comments that anyone could have made. If you have nothing to say, you should say so outright, and request some time to think and make up your mind, instead of trying to just talk for the sake of talking.

Give Space to Others

We can never really say how much time we spend talking. It is hard to evaluate ourselves from others’ points of view. So, at times, in the eyes of other people we might look like some talking-machines that take up much more time that allowed. In the eastern countries such as Japan and China, it is preferable to stay silent during class and ask your teacher for some questions on the break, because if you talk during the class you are taking away the time of your classmates.

Give Space to Yourself

You do not have to talk all the time. Even though sometimes it might feel like silence is awkward, it can be so only if you allow it to be. If you have nothing to say, do not make yourself anxious by thinking about the whole list of topics you could talk about and rush out with needless words.

Show Respect

By staying silent you can show much more respect than by talking. Respect others by not showering them with words. Sometimes all they need is just someone to be silent and support them. The same goes for the situations in the learning environment. If your friend failed a test, you can just silently support them, instead of rushing to analyze the situation from every side.

Concentrate On One Thing Only

Staying silent can make you concentrate just on the necessary things. If you talk while working, you are sure to miss some important details, which can lead to inaccuracies. Just being quiet can boost your productivity.